September 1st
by thewrittenbird
Summary: The last thing Frank Longbottom did on his first night at Hogwarts was think of Alice Prewett and smile.


**A/N:** Another drabble from my roleplay, this time a take on Frank and Alice's first meeting; this particular incarnation of the character had a very deep friendship with both Amelia and Edgar Bones.

* * *

Frank Longbottom was, strangely enough, very calm. A million things made him anxious, but somehow when he ran at the wall between Platforms Nine and Ten, finally confronting the scarlet steam engine he'd been waiting eleven years to see, his mind was clear. It was almost peaceful, really.

He was excited for school. The thought of having somewhere to explore, somewhere new, was enough to send the gears in his head whirring and clicking excitedly. Together, he and Amelia had discovered every tiny nook in both their houses, and every point of interest within at least a mile. It was time for new adventures—especially since Edgar had gone off the year before and come back for hols with hugely interesting tales to share.

Amelia was distraught, of course, at being left behind another year; she'd spent the last week with her arms around Frank's neck, making him promise every five minutes that he'd write at least twice a week, and that he wouldn't forget her. He repeated the sentiments every time she asked with a sincere nod of his head.

And there was his mother, with her sharp face and sharp voice, brushing imagined lint from his shoulders and bemoaning the wrinkles in his shirt. Dad wasn't there, and Frank sorely missed him; he had this way of smiling and lightening Mum up. But he'd been unable to get away from work, and his son held no ill will against him. They'd spent the morning making faces at each other over breakfast.

There was the train whistle, the steady approach of eleven o'clock and their departure. Frank was glad for his habit of punctuality; students were streaming onto the platform now, and as they began to catch up after their summers he hugged his mother one last time and headed for the train, eager to find a good compartment.

Finally, as the train began to move toward its destination after what seemed like hours, Frank found himself alone in a compartment near the end. The silence was not lonely, and he stared out the window while he thought.

"Excuse me?" There was a gentle rapping, and the compartment door rattled open.

A tiny figure stood in the aisle, with a warm face. Her hair was slightly tousled and her large eyes were full of worry. "Excuse me," she said again, "but have you seen a kitten? She got away from me and I can't seem to find her." Her mouth twisted into a frustrated knot as Frank shook his head, and he immediately wanted to make her smile.

"I'll help." Before he was entirely conscious of making a decision, Frank was on his feet and at the door; it had the desired effect—she beamed, and he was sure it was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. True, he was eleven years old, but he resented the implication that his age automatically meant he had an under-developed sense of beauty. Surely, anyone would agree with him.

Suddenly, Frank was aware that she was staring at him rather oddly; he wondered how long he'd been silent, staring off into space to think. Usually when he got like that, Amelia would nudge him with her elbow, or if he was with Edgar the silence might stretch indefinitely. To this girl, it probably looked like he was catatonic.

He held out his hand to her and smiled. "I'm Frank."

She beamed wider. "Hullo, Frank! I'm Alice. Let's go find a kitten!" She took his hand, but instead of shaking it, she laced her fingers through his and pulled him down the aisle, nearly wrenching his arm from its socket in the process, but she was giggling and the sound was infectious.

In the end, Alice's kitten was in the last car, playing with a tiny gray cat, whose owner introduced himself and shook both their hands. Eventually, after Alice had successfully charmed the other boy and promised Pippin a playdate, she scooped up the little white kitten and lead Frank back to his compartment.

He expected her to leave. He didn't really _want_ her to, but he thought that she would. But instead she sat down and continued to chatter good-naturedly, not at all minding that he lost himself in thought quite frequently and usually responded with only a vague nod.

She left for a few minutes to change into her robes and returned with a giggly twirl, picking up her conversation and storytelling precisely where she'd left off.

Frank Longbottom contemplated Alice. Her last name was Prewett, she'd said. He liked her warm eyes and genuine smile and the way she talked with her hands. He thought her hair looked soft. There was a general softness about her as a whole. He thought she was beautiful.

"Frankie, the train's stopped. Are you coming?" She held out her hand to him and smiled. He took it, and followed. It was the first time, but far from the last.

Frank's first look at Hogwarts castle was something he would remember for the rest of his life—the way it glittered and seemed to reach out a hand in welcome. It felt like home.

Alice beamed. The lights glittered in her eyes and hair, and she trailed her hand off the side of the boat, fingers dragging across the surface of the black water. There was a ripple near her hand, and Alice leaned her tiny body over the side, tried to bring her face to glassy surface, desperate to see what lay just beyond her eyes.

Within seconds, there was a bony, grasping hand reaching toward her wondering face. Alice shrieked and flinched away, but lost what balance she had in the boat; Frank grabbed the collar of her robes and pulled her back to sit solidly in the center of the boat. She shook a little, gasped a little, in shock and the fleeing shudders of fear. The other two in the boat looked combinations of frightened and excited; the boy from earlier looked shocked beyond speech, and the red-haired girl, who'd introduced herself as Lily, peered curiously over the side, holding her hair back and being careful not to get too close to the surface.

Alice threw her arms around Frank's neck and mumbled "Thank you" into his collar; she seemed remarkably calm, but sat slightly farther from the side of the boat for the journey across the lake.

She stood beside him for the Sorting, and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze when he answered the call of "Longbottom, Frank." She beamed as brightly as he when the Hat shouted "Gryffindor!" without a second's hesitation.

He shot her a double thumbs-up when "Prewett, Alice" rang through the Hall, and scooted over excitedly so that she could sit next to him at the Gryffindor table.

The last thing Frank Longbottom did on his first night at Hogwarts was think of Alice Prewett and smile.


End file.
